Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-28
WICKED WORK.
A Gang Of Righwaymen Commit
Daring Robbery on the Texas
and Pacific.
They Capture ihe Engineer and Fire
man Mt Gordon and 60 Through
the Express and Mail,
But They Fail to Make Heavy Haul
The Messenger Made to Open the
Door with Threats OF Cremation.

Have the days Of Sam Bass come bacl
again? After an interval of years is new
era Of briganGage about to open up il
Texas? Over month ago the startling
news was heraldcd abroad that three IN
masked men, in the open light of day, haC
"held up" a passenger train on the For
Worth and Denver road and Coolly con
h5cated the effects Of those or board. |
was an awkward, laundering Job, done in
wretched amateur style, y, IL was so fal
successful that all the agents GOT
safely away and only one of them (and
that is not certaiD) has since been cap.
tured.
Yet this occurrence, bold as it was
rather pGles by contrast with the affair OF
yesterday. The Texas and Pacific was
the line, s high bridge two miles east OF
Gordon and slXty-Si-ht miles west of Fort
Worth the scene, the mail and express
cars on through train from California
the objects Of attack, and seven thieves
and rutlians the principles in another ole
of those audagiuuS episodes which tend
to show thst the b agt OF man is as DIES
perate, and his viii 10 rob as strong, a
in the days II Dick Turpin and Robin
Hood.
THE FIEEMAN'S STORY.
WHAT THE GAZET IE cleaned Of it NAV
rs well be told IN the language of fireman
Jake w eman, who saw most of what
transpired ant on whose memory the de-
tails are stamped with more than ordinary
yividncss.
Eyes, it was my first tXperlence," said
Mr.. Weeman, "ani it ratified me slightly,
IN admit. We We're due at Gordon,
which is small town, ct 2:2S, q. m,
and were on time The night was in.
tensely DARK, SO dark that couldn't dis
tinguish the festnre3 IF John Berquist,
the engineer, three feet away The
stop WAS short one, and
We were once more in motion
without thought of what was about to
happen. The train was still going slowly
when | saw the form of man clamborin.
up into the engine on the side farthest
from NE. THIN l became aware of an
other Cna quite lear me. l saw the men
before Bcrqu!st did. At first it didn't &C.
cur TO me- That there wss anything wrong
About 200 yards down the road was coal
chute where We always stopped to take
on fuel, and sometimes the hands working
there rode that distance on the en-
Siue. Then the CUgiHeer saw them
aud said: what are you fellows
doing on here, where are you GO
ing" O0e Of them answered: I'VE
are Just going 2 little ways down here
But you can't do it, Berquist said.
'The rules Of the company don't allow
it, and he started TO stop the engine to
put them of, when both of them threw
their pistols down on US, end told John if
he wanted to live u 20 on.
"Wel', what could he do under such
conditions? There we were, with moth
ing in the shape Of weapon, and even if
we had had iorty guns, they would have
been useless. They had the drop. We
could do nothing but obey orders. So
Jonn pGlled out, and We flew past the
coal-chute without taking on lump. |
The fel Ows said not W srd, and !
the engineer and didn't feel in |.
s very laxative humor with two big PTS /
tolls close to our heads. Two miles from |
Gordon the track crosses B2rtOn's creek, !
over one of The highest bridges on the |
whole road. We were nearing this when |
by the CLEAN OF the headlight we could |
see pile Of rocks obStructing the track, !
q few rods from the further end of the |
trestle. Then the robber that had done
all the talking told us 20 come TO q halt, .
an ord not very necessary on account Of
the obstruCti n.
MORE ROBBERS ON THE SCENE.
eve passed over slowly, the engine,
tender, baggage and mail cars only get
ting entirely across, the coaches and
sleeper resting on the bridge and the
steep emhsnkment beyond. As we came
20 halt four or five mer, can't say pre-
;isely which, came up 10 the engine and
allied Us TO get down. The pair with us,
Who had never taken their guns down,
'epested the order saying they would
,low our heads OF if we didn't, so down
We climbed. IS | said before, ii was I
itch dark and it was impossible to tell
low the men looked. The two on the !
ngine were both big fellows. They kept '
lose to US, keeping Us in the midst of them
While We pEqteeded to the express car.
NE side d66F was shut fast, and there I
to open The door quick, and as c
e didn't do If, CONNIE need firing through {
he car. | guess they. fired a dozen or
lore rounds before be opened it. heard /
lem say, 'if the d.. deg don't open it I
ell burn the car SIM roast him alive Y
Te've got to have that money When t
e OpeneQ IL tQ-GS CT lOuI uI tueh went II
/. don't know Whist they got. 1t was c
10 dark to see anything g
''Then they went TO the mail car and
ent through it too, but l have no idea u
what they took, there. Il
ink one or two of. the men hsd
] masks but It is difficult to state s.
l am certain the men on the
lgine with US wore no masks. The rt
lIkness was disguise enough. Idor" A
ink I'd know either one of them Of
Jain" = G
WHAT THEY TOOK. bt